The Funnest Month
August 3, 2026
I often tell folks that traveling helps me ‘get out’ – get out of myself, get out of my country, get out of my way of doing things…get out of seeing things the way I normally do. I talk about ‘suspending certainty’ so I need to live it too!
I got out of my own way this past month by going forest bathing. Just outside of Honolulu in Moanalua Gardens, I met with Phyllis Look, of Forest Bathing Hawai’i. Phyllis, did exactly what her website said we would do. “When we walk together along easy trails under the forest canopy, I’ll invite you to touch and listen to the trees, to smell and taste what is on the wind, to notice what you are seeing as if for the first time. Slowly, time and worries fall away, and we remember again what it is to be alive!”
During my ‘conversations with the canopy’, I felt my breath, I felt the grass, I felt my calm, I felt the peace of being accompanied by Phyllis. I remember her greeting, her eye contact, her patience and her curiosity in how I saw the experience we were having together. She was pleasant and present. A gift.
I know that we are going head on into August. The rush into fall is upon us, the ‘onslaught’ of everything. Let’s suspend our certainty that we must just keep crossing things off the list and get ‘up to speed’. Let’s take a breath and noticing the aliveness in front of us.
Ask yourself:
- Where am I holding too tightly to the belief that there is only one right way to begin this year? What might be an easier way to start so that you feel more alive in the process?
- What might I notice if I paused long enough to really see the person in front of me? How might connecting with them in a pleasant and present way help us start the year with more calm?
- What small breath, question, or moment of presence could help me get out of my own way?
And, let’s also suspend our certainty that things are gonna be a chore. Ugh. Sigh. Grr. I can feel folks just girding their loins as the school year gets underway. To give us some perspective, let’s keep Ann Idzik in mind. My friend, Ann, has been in memory care for a few years now. I had a chance to see her during my trip back to my childhood home. Her daughter, Laura, brought some breakfast treats to Ann’s room and we all had a catch up. Ann remembered me sometimes, and other times, not, but her spirit was totally there – upbeat and shining.
I asked the wrong question of someone with memory issues (I am still a work in progress on how to engage in those situations) but Ann’s response will keep me in a good space for a long while. I asked Ann what she was going to do for the rest of the day she looked at me and said, “I don’t know, but I do know it’ll be the funnest!” Her grin as well as the aliveness and excitement in her voice was, again, such a gift.
As we move forward into the ‘Ugh, here we are at the start school again,’ ask yourself:
- What certainty about this work being hard, heavy, or joyless am I willing to suspend?
- Where might there be room for delight, even in something I have already labeled as a chore?
- How can I build my resilience by staying open to surprise instead of bracing for the worst?
- What would shift if I began the day believing, even a little, that “it’ll be the funnest”?
So as get we into it, remember to pause, to notice who is right in front of us, and to meet the real moment before deciding ‘we already know’ what that moment will be like. When we loosen our grip on being certain it’s not gonna be fun, we make room for maybe even the “funnest” things coming our way. Join me.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Feel free to email me at jennifer@jenniferabrams.com.
Cool Resources
The Resistance Solution: Why Educators Resist Change and What They Need Instead by Becca Silver. “Resistance is one of the most misunderstood challenges in K-12 education. You explain the plan. You model the strategy. You follow up. And still…nothing really changes. Resistance is often seen as defiance, lack of buy-in, or unwillingness to adapt. So you do what you’ve been trained to do: clarify expectations, offer more support, or push harder. These approaches may work at first, but the changes don’t last. That’s because resistance isn’t a behavior problem. It’s a signal. The Resistance Solution offers a research-informed, field-tested approach that helps leaders understand what resistance signals and how to respond in ways that build trust, strengthen belief, and move the work forward. Whether you lead a school, coach teachers, or support district initiatives, this book will help you stop guessing and start responding with greater intentionality and impact.”
In my shopping cart…
What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire and the Self-Knowledge Imperative by Jim Collins. “[F]or the first time, Collins movingly chronicles his own story to reveal how undertaking this project transformed him, changing his thinking and reshaping his emotions in fundamental ways. Surprising, story-driven, deeply researched, and uplifting, What to Make of a Life is a book like no other, convincingly showing how a richly fulfilled life is within reach of us all.”
Worthy Of Commitment: Philosophy, Principles And Practices For Human Systems Flourishing by Jacqueline Wong. “Worthy of Commitment introduces the concept of Living Organisation Development (OD) as a pathway for creating workplaces grounded in the wisdom of living systems found in nature — places that are productive, deeply human and regenerative. Drawing on their practice spanning over the past two-and-a-half decades, this book illuminates the principles of Living OD in action to unlock flourishing organisations. It seeks to answer a fundamental question: What does an organisation truly worthy of people’s commitment look like, and how can we create one? It invites the readers to become active agents in creating organisations, communities and nations that are life-centric.”
